Forgetting Chloe Sullivan
by BerryEbilBunny
Summary: Chloe's mind has been reduced to that of a child but Oliver powers through.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville. Don't sue me.**

"Ollie, where'd you go?" A curious blonde with a short pixie cut ran against the wind and around the park looking for her older companion. She giggled in delight at the thrill of the chase. Deep in concentration, she almost missed the sound of a deep chuckle above her.

Immediately, she looked up and squealed ecstatically at the grinning blonde in the tree, "I found you Ollie! I found you!"

She childishly clapped as the much taller blonde smirked at her enjoyment and jumped down from his perch. The park was full of families enjoying the summer sun and the breeze that was rolling in off the coast. It was perfect weather for a picnic and to fly a kite. Oliver was glad he blended in with the rest off the Star City civilians who were just enjoying their Sunday afternoon, especially with his high-spirited companion at his side. He grinned at the thought of the petite blonde by his side and smirked at her, eyes filled with teasing intention, "Hey, race you back to the picnic table?"

"You're on!" The female stuck her tongue out as she cheated by racing ahead before Oliver could even comprehend what she just did. Feigning aghast, he huffed before chasing after her; as he came up from behind and scooped her up he continued running to their table. He plopped her down and she grinned at him even after her cheeks began to ache. He sat across from her as he opened up the basket.

"I have a surprise for you!" Instantly, the girl's hypnotic green eyes brightened as Ollie waggled his eyebrows mischievously which made her giggle at his antics. After forcing her to cover her eyes, Oliver moved agonizingly slow to prepare her surprise and made her wish she had Clark's x-ray vision so she could see what her surprise was. Oliver rolled his eyes in amusement at her powerful curiosity and sarcastically wondered where she got that from, "Alright, you can look now!"

"Thank you so much!" Quickly, she grabbed the red kite and held it against her chest. He laughed at how it looked like Superman's emblem.

Eagerly, she picked up the spool of string and dragged her newly repaired kite out to the clearing and attempted throw her kite up in the air and get a running start. Ollie watched in amusement as the birthday girl continued to struggle with the wind and took pity on her. Gently, he took the huge kite from her hands and gestured for her to start running as he held it high above his head. She instantly understood, like she always did, and laughed in amazement as the kite took flight. Oliver jogged over to her and looked up to watch the kite gain height but was momentarily blinded by the sun until he used his hand to block some of it. Chuckling, he looked at the tiny blonde beside him, his eyes filled with adoration and love, "So, are you ready to get some birthday cupcakes?"

"Hm," she grunted, feigning consideration before she smiled, "Of course!"

They reeled in the kite and packed up the remains of their lunch into the basket before climbing into Oliver's least suspicious car. Curiously, the pixie blond watched the world go fast and pointed out the few landmarks that she was familiar with to Ollie who grinned and queried about her sentiments toward the indicated areas which she always answered whole-heartedly. They pulled up into a fairly busy parking lot.

"Well, here we are," Oliver announced grandly as the fiercely independent female opened her own door and gawked at the gourmet bakery before them.

"Is this the blueberry muffin place?" She beamed at Ollie as he nodded.

This was the only place in the city that had "acceptable" blueberry muffins that could hope to compare to her mom's or Mrs. Kent's. Oliver had tried about fifty or so bakeries and coffee shops before this one had passed enough for his little blond; she was still too picky about her breakfast items much to his amusement. Ever since Chloe's mind had deteriorated into a little girl's, Ollie's life has been very difficult but at least there has always been the off chance that she would get better.

After their son died, Chloe had slowly pulled away until she wasn't in the lives of the Team even as Watchtower. Oliver supposed that she blamed herself for Robbie's death, but she shouldn't have; no one could have ever predicted that the Joker would have kidnapped and murdered thirteen kids. They had been pulled, randomly, from the Gotham City streets and hung from Wayne Tower with painfully wide smiles on their faces. The Green Arrow nearly went insane from losing his six-year-old son and the only thing that kept him focused was Watchtower's guidance yet slow withdrawal. Unfortunately, they never found out that she was losing her own mind until five years later and two years ago as of last week.

Ollie tried to distract himself from his tormenting self-pity by watching the tiny blonde skip up to the double door entrance. For just a moment he allowed himself to smile at her innocent eagerness, "Hey wait up for me, Sidekick!"

The girl in question just laughed and ran faster. By the time Oliver made it to the counter his little Sidekick had already perched herself on a barstool while ordering what she wanted. Excitedly, her legs swung madly back and forth. She rambled on and on and sometimes repeated what she said barely a few seconds before. She'd laugh at herself a bit and tell a small tale of what that reminded her of before remembering that she was ordering as many baked goods as possible before Ollie got there. Although she never got to the end of her stories, the cashier seemed completely enthralled by the ball of pure, innocent energy before him. Her eyes went wide with shock at the sight of the guy who's footing the bill, "… oh, and two candles for the red velvet cupcakes!"

"How much is it this time, Sidekick?" The cashier slipped him the receipt and Oliver faked a wince. This was nothing in comparison to what a Lois Date used to cost, once upon a time, but still, this was enough to buy the dress, "Wow, um, $450?"

"Plus tax!" She added brightly.

Sighing, Oliver handed over his debit card while giving the girl grief by sending a mixture of disappointed and exasperated looks at her. Not for a single second did she allow herself to be caught up in his puppy dog eyes. In fact, she rolled her own eyes as they were escorted to a table out on the porch where they could see the beautiful Star City coast line. For a moment, just a single moment, Oliver caught his fellow blonde's pain that was hidden in her eyes, "I wish my mom could see all of this."

"She's going to get better. I promise." Moira's blank countenance flashed in Ollie's mind. He was so lucky that Chloe, for all her kookiness, was at least lucid. The two blondes stared at each other; the female was hardly reassured but kept up a pretense for her companion, "I want to go see her today."

"That can be arranged." They allowed themselves to lapse into a companionable silence until they got their cupcakes. Surprisingly, the staff started to sing "Happy Birthday" at the shocked pair and allowed themselves to settle into soft, amiable smiles as they slipped into a cloud of euphoria. They chatted afterwards while chewing on the cupcakes while letting out sounds of pure delight at the flavor in between bits of banter. They remained that way until they obtained their last box of baked goods in which Ollie deemed it time to go to the hospital to visit the birthday girl's mother.

The pair hopped back into the car and the youngest of the pair frowned, the older asked in an apprehensive tone, "What's wrong?"

"When will she get better?"

"She will get better, Sidekick, I promise."

A stubborn look crossed her face, "Do you pinky promise?"

He stuck out his pinky and she hooked her little one around his. She began to pull away but he clenched that little finger and caught her attention before letting go. He parked the car outside of the mental facility that Chloe and her mother had been in for the last few years and mentally prepared himself and his companion, "Alright, Sidekick, you can't forget your promise and the rules."

"Don't talk too personally about the heroes and don't call her 'mom'. I know already, Ollie." She gave a bravado smile that filled up the already downtrodden hero with guilt. It wasn't fair to her that life always gave her the short stick and made her stare at the green grass on the other side. The way Fate kicked her around—kicked _them_ around—was harsh. The male took her hand as he allowed her to climb out of the car before they walked brusquely towards the receptionist desk. The elderly brunette greeted them with a warm twinkle in her eyes that matched her wrinkled grin, "Mr. Queen, Miss Sullivan, are you here to see Ms. Sullivan?"

The younger blonde giggled and bounced on her feet, "Yes, we are Miss Aida."

"I trust you know the way to her room?" The pair nodded simultaneously and they walked down the hall at a leisurely pace. The white walls weren't a pure white, but, still, safely boring. Miss Sullivan took Mr. Queen's hand and he followed her to one of the unremarkable doors that lined up in the corridor on the fourth floor. Slowly, the petite blond pushed open the door and watched as her mother screamed in delight before tackling them in a hug. She bounded about in excitement and laughed at their surprised expressions. Oliver spoke carefully, "I'm glad to see you up and about."

"Oh Ollie, it has been a beautiful day so far and I'm not so sure why." She laughed. Her daughter felt her heart swell at the mere hope that her mother sort of remembered her birthday. Tentatively, she took her mother's hands, "Hey, do you want to play outside?"

Oliver watched the two interact childishly as they ran outside to play in the gardens. The pair of females had a tea party and was happily chattering away about superheroes, much to Oliver's great amusement until they made him join in with the stuffed animals. The younger female stopped herself in mid-laugh and asked, "Did you know that today's my birthday?"

She watched her mother's eyes go big in surprise and Oliver was prepared to whisk away his companion when he heard the mental patient shout out, "Wait one moment!"

They waited in anticipation for whatever surprise the woman had in store for her friend and the watched her bound away and then back. Her chest heaved as she stuck out her hand that held her surprise; it was a small bouquet of flowers with a green ribbon wrapped around it. The young billionaire smiled and laughed softly at the look of joyous shock on the birthday girl's face as she thanked her mother a thousand times over.

"Happy Birthday, cub!" Her daughter blushed at the nickname and looked up at her closest confident before speaking, "Thanks Ollie!"

He ruffled her hair, "No problem, Sidekick."

The pixie blond looked up at her mother once again, "Goodbye and thanks again!"

Chloe hugged her daughter dotingly as a best friend would and her husband carried their dozing child away.

**AN: Were you surprised? Thanks for reading! Please review if possible.**


End file.
